by Kenya Smith/Intern
kenya.smith@tidewaternews.com

FRANKLIN
The Franklin High School Theatre Troupe will present its fall competition show “Lockdown” on Thursday, Nov. 29, at 6:30 p.m. in Franklin High School. The troupe is made up of 13 students, and is lead by coach and director Terri Zurfluh.

“We have been practicing since September,” said Zurfluh, “We actually performed this play on Nov. 3 during a regional theatre competition at Windsor High School. For Thursday night, we just want give the public an opportunity to see what we did at the competition.”

The competition is one of the many held by the Virginia High School League. The league is an alliance of the state’s public and approved no-boarding, non-public high schools that promotes education, leadership, sportsmanship, character and citizenship for students by establishing and maintaining high standards for school activities and competitions.

Set in a dark classroom, “Lockdown” is about eight students who sit in “official lockdown,” not knowing if it’s just a drill or an actual emergency. The play brings up the issue of school safety, which has become a relevant topic throughout the years due to the prevalence of school shootings. In February of this year, Nikolas Cruz opened fire at students and staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School in Parkland, Florida. As a result, 17 people were killed and 17 others were injured.

Zurfluh also stated that even some of the students in the theatre troupe experienced times when they were in similar situations.

As a result, she anticipates that the play will give the audience a sense of awareness of what is happening in schools across the country.

“I hope that the audience would really start to think about what they can do to change the environment to ensure the safety of our children,” said Zurfluh.

The show is free and open to the public, but it is not suited for young audiences due to adult language.